In the near term, Republicans have an important race in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District on December 2. It's likely to be a low-turnout election, and Republicans need to get out in force to make sure they hold the seat.
Then, in 2026, the all-important midterm elections come, when it will be a critical battle, and it's going to be important for the Republicans to stress the important issues for the American people, like the economy.
READ MORE: Right Now Would Be a Good Time for the GOP to Hit the Panic Button on TN-07
Yikes: Wild 2019 Videos Showing Troubling Behavior From TN Dem Candidate Aftyn Behn Just Resurfaced
As we go into the future, there's an interesting assessment about an important group from a professor of government at Dartmouth University, Brendan Nyhan. He's clearly upset about it. But for Republicans, it's good news.
Nyhan wrote in a New York Times essay that there were fewer anti-Trump protesters now than there were in his first term.
"And while there has been pushback — most notably, the No Kings movement drew an estimated five million people to the streets in October — the scale of the protests is still not as large as one might expect, given the severity of the threat," he wrote. "During President Trump’s first term, millions of people protested when the situation was far less dire."
Only a small proportion were young people at the protests, according to Nyhan's data.
"Only 8 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 say they took part in the protests in October, compared with 13 percent of those age 65 and older, according to YouGov. Students are most conspicuous in their absence," Nyhan said.
This was a "sharp reversal" from when young people were 13 percent of the George Floyd protesters, he stated.
SEE: Not a Surprise: 'No Kings' Protests Attended Mostly by People From This One Demographic (VIP)
The conclusion that there were more older people matches what we've been seeing anecdotally in viewing the leftist protests: that many of the people were 65 and older. Old hippies.
Nyhan raised the alarm.
"The absence of young people from conventional protests is both a problem and a warning. The opposition to Mr. Trump’s authoritarian speed run requires new strategies that will engage a wider swath of the population," Nyhan wrote.
He theorized that the young people might be "demobilized and demoralized" because the protests hadn't resulted in much. He also observed that the Democratic Party was "dominated by a decadent gerontocracy whose elites were more likely to attend a wedding in the Hamptons than a No Kings protest on the same day."
I think both of those conclusions are right on target. And that's not good for the Democrats. There may be young people on the left, but they're not seeing Democrats delivering. What happens when the old hippies start aging out, and Democrats have no ready replacements?
But I think there's also something else that is afoot here. While there are certainly young people who are fans of the left, there's also been a big shift of young people to the right, as we saw in the last election.
Here was Charlie Kirk explaining it, before his assassination.
Charlie Kirk says Gen Z’s rightward shift is real, sustained, and backed by polls—rebelling against lockdowns, wokeness, and PC culture.
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) July 15, 2025
“David Shor, one of the data experts on the Left, says this is the most shocking development of the last couple of years is the sudden… pic.twitter.com/2I2E7RZemL
“David Shor, one of the data experts on the Left, says this is the most shocking development of the last couple of years is the sudden rightward shift that we’ve seen with younger voters.”
He called it a "gift" to Republicans. A lot of it is a reaction and recognition of the extremism of the left. And in the last election, a lot of voters were animated by President Donald Trump, who isn't going to be on the ballot in the midterms.
So Republicans have to come across with the results to get people to come out for them. The most important thing, as is always the case, is the economy. Republicans need to show not only the harm of the Democrats' policies, but also the actions being taken that will make things better. They can grab people, even those who lean left and the independents, if they follow through on Trump's agenda that people voted for. Trump has secured the border. He's also making big deals that not only help national security, but that will bring jobs back. Things like gas and eggs have come down, generally, across the country. Republicans need to highlight the successes, show that other positives are on the way, and show commitment to that agenda.
But the clock is ticking.
